US and Qatar leaders warn against disrupting Gaza ceasefire negotiations
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Qatar's prime minister on Wednesday warned all sides not to undermine Gaza ceasefire talks set to open in the Gulf nation, in a veiled warning to Iran, Hamas and Israel.
Blinken and Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in a telephone call stated that "no party in the region should take actions that would undermine efforts to reach a deal," a US State Department statement said.
The two discussed "efforts to calm tensions in the region and the importance of finalizing a ceasefire in Gaza," it said.
Blinken also spoke Wednesday with the top diplomat of Egypt. In recent days he has also consulted Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, along with Israel.
President Joe Biden last week joined the leaders of Egypt and Qatar in publicly urging the talks to start on Thursday on halting the 10-month conflict.
The initiative came after Biden was frustrated by a presumed Israeli attack in Iran that killed Hamas's political leader, who had been involved in ceasefire negotiations.
The United States has since been urging Iran's clerical state not to carry out a threatened counterstrike on Israel.
The Biden administration has also voiced outrage over actions of far-right Israeli ministers including Itamar Ben Gvir, who defiantly led prayers Tuesday at the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem.